Better Business – feat. Zen of Slow Cooking

The theme of B Corp Month 2021 (March) was “Better Business”. Being a ‘better business’ means prioritising constant improvement to continuously exceed the expectations, demands and needs of society and the planet.
B Corps are examples of ‘better businesses’, proven by their verified B Corp score and their commitment to placing stakeholders at the centre of their decisions.

Throughout March, we collaborated with some fellow local B Corps. Each week we focused on and featured a specific area within the B Corp Assessment sections to celebrate and champion what it is that makes some of the local B Corporations a “B Corp”, to hopefully inspire many more to join the movement.

Here, Jane McKay, Partner & COO at Zen of Slow Cooking shares their take.

ADLIB: For some background information, who are you as a business and what makes your business offering unique?

Jane McKay: At Zen of Slow Cooking, we believe in the power of connecting with friends and family over a delicious, home cooked meal. However, with time constraints on the home cook, carving out time each day can be challenging. In order to meet that need, we created a line of premium globally inspired (no/low salt) spice blends to help create simplicity in the kitchen and the provide flavor foundation of recipes crafted in a slow cooker, Crock Pot or it’s millennial cousin the Instant Pot.

ADLIB: What got you interested in joining the B Corp movement and what does being a B Corp mean to you?

Jane McKay: When Meg started Zen of Slow Cooking she was already deeply interested in the conscious capitalism movement and intrigued by B Corps. But actually “doing the work” and building a social impact business has made us even more passionate about the responsibility of the business community to take the lead on being a force for good in the world. Being a B Corp means being part of a community of leaders driving a global movement of people using business as a force for good.

ADLIB: Can you share a little bit about your B Corp story, what the process was like for you?

Jane McKay: When we started the process, awareness of B Corps was thin on the ground. I remember talking to Andy Fyfe in front of Tony’s Chocolonely booth at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco and the penny dropping about what it meant to be a B Corp. Once we committed to the process, we asked one of our team members (Peggy Jadwin) to devote time to becoming B Corp Certified. Peggy conducted interviews with both Meg and I to gather the information required, and we underwent a number of rounds to complete the process. Finally, in the Autumn of 2018, we got notice of our success and we’ve been spreading a little Zen and the word ever since.

ADLIB: Talking specifically about WORKERS – What does it mean to you to “be a better employer”?

Jane McKay: Our focus is to optimize the individual talents of our team members and ensure that morale remains high. As a Certified Women Owned business, we recognise that there will be times when team members need to respond to personal needs and do so without judgement. As part of our recruitment process, we ask that everyone undertake the Gallup StrengthFinders test and in doing so, it ensures that we are identifying the best fit for us all and putting team members to their highest and best use. We continue to ask for feedback on “what we can do better” and assess any points of growth and development to meet the needs of each individual. Meg and I have also incorporated the work of The Conscious Leadership Group (https://conscious.is) into our business.

This article is part of the “Better Business” series during B Corp Month, a collaboration of the Bristol & Bath B Local Group. More info about #BristolBathBCorps here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9002180/ and more info about B Corp here: https://bcorporation.net/.